Olajuwon

Houston Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon has led his team to two straight NBA championships and won an NBA Most Valuable Player award the past two seasons. Michael Jordan, before his brief retirement, had won three straight NBA titles and has picked up three MVP awards over his career.So, has Olajuwon replaced Jordan as the league's best player?David Moore, who covers the league for the Dallas Morning News, recently polled some NBA insiders on their choice between Jordan and Olajuwon and here is a brief sample of opinions:* Los Angeles Clippers coach Bill Fitch: "Olajuwon has done it lately.

HOUSTON -- Hakeem Olajuwon, the soft-spoken Nigerian emigre who led the Houston Rockets to two NBA championships, is becoming as celebrated in the city's real estate circles as he was on the basketball court. Following an unorthodox yet disciplined strategy, he has managed to make as much in real estate in the past 10 years as he did in 17 seasons playing professional basketball. "He buys high and sells higher," said David L. Cook, executive vice president with the commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield, who has represented Olajuwon in several transactions.

NEW YORK -- To Hakeem Olajuwon, the answer was in the numbers. In Game 3, he again had no statistical impact in the fourth quarter, leading to speculation that New York Knicks forward Anthony Mason was the Dream's worst nightmare."

When the Toronto Raptors signed Hakeem Olajuwon as a free agent last summer, the 38-year-old center was supposed to be the player who would put one of the league's most talented teams over the hump and into the Eastern Conference finals - if not into the NBA Finals. Olajuwon has held up his end of the bargain, giving the Raptors an inside presence to complement Antonio Davis and a good veteran role model for young stars such as Vince Carter, Alvin Williams and Morris Peterson to follow.

Hakeem Olajuwon. David Robinson.Ask 100 people their choice for the NBA's Most Valuable Player this season, and you'll probably get nearly a 50-50 split.The only certainty here is that a player from Texas will become the first center to win MVP honors since Moses Malone did it with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1983.Last year, the Phoenix Suns' Charles Barkley won the award BTC because voters were tired of seeing Michael Jordan walk away with the trophy. This season's battle could produce one of the closest races in the history of the award.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- For four quarters and one five-minute overtime period, the Houston Rockets and the Orlando Magic traded blow for blow. But when it came time to put an end to a classic, the best player in basketball, Hakeem Olajuwon, stepped to the forefront.Olajuwon scored on a tip-in of Clyde Drexler's missed shot with three-tenths of a second left in overtime to give the Rockets a 120-118 win last night in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.The shot capped a 31-point night for Olajuwon, and took away the home-court advantage of the Magic, who find themselves trailing a playoff series for the first time this season.

When the Toronto Raptors signed Hakeem Olajuwon as a free agent last summer, the 38-year-old center was supposed to be the player who would put one of the league's most talented teams over the hump and into the Eastern Conference finals - if not into the NBA Finals. Olajuwon has held up his end of the bargain, giving the Raptors an inside presence to complement Antonio Davis and a good veteran role model for young stars such as Vince Carter, Alvin Williams and Morris Peterson to follow.

HOUSTON -- The San Antonio Spurs have not controlled Hakeem Olajuwon. They have not controlled a single game of the three played so far on their home court. And forget about trying to control Dennis Rodman.As a result, the Houston Rockets hold a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference finals, a bizarre series in which neither team has won at home.Who can predict what will happen next? But if the Rockets win Game 6 tonight at the Summit, the defending NBA champions will return to the finals -- a remarkable feat for the No. 6-seeded team in the conference.

The envelopes, please!After procrastinating longer than the Dallas Mavericks in signing lottery pick Jim Jackson, it is time to announce our awards for the best performances in the NBA.This season, the races for the most prestigious awards have been more competitive than usual, particularly for Most Valuable Player and Coach of the Year.Team publicists have been filling mailboxes with documentation, hats and T-shirts in support of their favorite sons.Showing no malice against the team whose promotional T-shirt failed to survive the wash, here are our personal selections:* Most Valuable Player: Say MVP and you trigger the endless debate as to whether this means the best player or the one indispensable to his team's success.

PORTLAND, Ore. -- There is no better marketplace for weighing NBA trade rumors than in the hotel headquarters for the media and non-participating coaches during the championship series.And swap stories are in abundance this year, with a number of high-profile players involved. All-NBA center Hakeem Olajuwon, who has had recurring contract problems with the Houston Rockets, is the biggest star on the auction block. Miami reportedly has offered center Rony Seikaly in return, but balked when the Rockets also wanted the Heat to include shooting guard Glen Rice or point guard Steve Smith.

Pro basketballOlajuwon undergoes surgery to repair inguinal herniaHouston Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon, who last month became the first NBA player to get 2,000 blocks and 2,000 steals in his career, began an estimated 4-to-6-week recovery after undergoing surgery to repair an inguinal hernia.Team physician Dr. Walter Lowe said the 45-minute outpatient procedure to correct a gap in Olajuwon's abdominal wall should end the extreme pain and weakness initially attributed to a groin strain. Olajuwon left Friday night's game in the third quarter.

NBA games lost yesterday: 13.Total games missed: 373.dTC Earliest estimated date season can start: Jan. 22.Projected player salary losses (through Jan. 22): $480 million.Negotiations: David Stern and Billy Hunter did not meet yesterday, and nothing was scheduled for today.Today's best canceled game: Rockets vs. Lakers. The speed and fadeaway jumper of Houston center Hakeem Olajuwon meets the power of Los Angeles center Shaquille O'Neal.Pub Date: 12/27/98

Even with the disappointment of the off-season, the Miami Heat had become the league's biggest surprise and was nicely positioned for the postseason. With the second-best record in the Eastern Conference, the Heat figured it could have home-court advantage until a possible Eastern Conference final series against the Chicago Bulls.But with Alonzo Mourning out for perhaps 20 games after tearing the plantar fascia in his right foot last Friday, the seeding situation could change in the coming weeks.

It's 45 minutes to game time and Houston Rockets forward Charles Barkley is warming up in a most unconventional way. Unconventional in that while most everybody else playing is either dressed for that night's game -- or nearly dressed -- Barkley is still in street clothes, giving his weekly "state of the NBA" address.In the world according to Barkley, few are left unscathed:On the Los Angeles Lakers: "I know the Lakers can't beat us. They get up for the big teams, and lose to the [lousy] teams.

LANDOVER -- These days it's getting kind of difficult to figure out which is the real Washington Bullets team. Is it the one that goes out and gets blasted by mediocre teams? Or is it the club that goes toe-to-toe with the NBA's best?Going against the Houston Rockets last night, the Bullets -- at least on paper -- appeared to be no match for the top team in the Western Conference. But Washington managed to go toe-to-toe with the Rockets, only to fall short in the end, 103-99, before a sellout crowd of 18,756 at USAir Arena.

CHICAGO -- It was back in 1980 when 17-year-old, pencil-thin Nigerian Hakeem Olajuwon got his first taste of international competition. For Olajuwon, it was as a member of the Nigerian junior national team. And though he later would be known widely as one of the best centers of all time, Olajuwon couldn't even help get his team past the semifinals."It's always a very competitive tournament, and we wound up losing to Central Africa," Olajuwon recalled. "It was just my second year playing basketball, and that was my first international competition."

CHICAGO -- It was back in 1980 when 17-year-old, pencil-thin Nigerian Hakeem Olajuwon got his first taste of international competition. For Olajuwon, it was as a member of the Nigerian junior national team. And though he later would be known widely as one of the best centers of all time, Olajuwon couldn't even help get his team past the semifinals."It's always a very competitive tournament, and we wound up losing to Central Africa," Olajuwon recalled. "It was just my second year playing basketball, and that was my first international competition."

It became unfashionable last season to refer to the Houston Rockets as "Team Hakeem" after the Rockets posted a 15-10 record while All-Star center Hakeem Olajuwon was sidelined with an eye injury.With backup center Larry Smith filling in admirably, the Rockets finished 52-30 and earned Don Chaney Coach of the Year honors.But the Rockets, who entertain the Washington Bullets tonight, discovered this season that Olajuwon really is indispensable.With Olajuwon healthy, the Rockets jumped out to a 7-2 start and suddenly were viewed as a legitimate title contender in the Western Conference.